Rob Fusari

Last updated

Rob Fusari, also known as 8Bit, is an American record producer and songwriter. He has worked with Destiny's Child, Kelly Rowland, Will Smith, Whitney Houston and Lady Gaga.

Contents

Early life

Rob Fusari was born on September 25 1967, and raised in Livingston, New Jersey. [1] [2] A child prodigy, Fusari won numerous piano competitions at Radio City Music Hall at 8 years old.

Career

Fusari began writing songs while a student at William Paterson University. [3] He started recording demos, and subsequently met hit songwriter Irwin Levine, [4] who was known for writing "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" and several other hits for Tony Orlando & Dawn.

In the late 1990s, Fusari became producing partners with Vincent Herbert. It was at this time that he wrote his first hit single, "No, No, No", which launched Destiny Child's career. In 2001, Fusari produced "Bootylicious" for the group's third studio album Survivor . The song peaked at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. In 1999, Fusari produced Will Smith's successful single "Wild Wild West" from the film of the same name.

In 2002, he produced the songs "Train on a Track" by Kelly Rowland and Whitney Houston's "Love That Man", which were both released as singles to varying degrees of success in 2003. The same year, Fusari first worked with Britney Spears on a track titled "Love's Supposed 2 Be", which failed to be included on In the Zone . [5] [6]

In 2008, Fusari served as producer on Lady Gaga's Grammy-winning debut album, The Fame . [7] He produced and is credited on five songs: "Paparazzi", "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich", "Again Again", "Brown Eyes" and "Disco Heaven". Fusari also produced and co-wrote "Vanity", "Glitter & Grease", and "Retro Dance Freak". [8]

In 2012, he started an independent music label, Last Quarter Records which is based in New York City. Fusari is currently signed to Sony ATV Publishing.

In May 2016, ABC's follow-up to the classic The Lexicon of Love album was released called The Lexicon of Love II . Fusari co-wrote "Confessions of a Fool", "Singer Not the Song" and "The Ship of the Seasick Sailor" with lead singer Martin Fry. The album entered the UK album charts at #5, the band's first UK Top 10 release since 1990. Fusari toured with ABC on their Lexicon of Love II UK Tour (with full orchestra conducted by Anne Dudley), autumn 2016. In December Fusari and Fry wrote and produced ABC's first ever Christmas song "A Christmas We Deserve" together. BBC Radio 2 put it on the A-list upon release.

Production discography

Key
Indicates single release
#Indicates promotional single release
TitleYearArtist(s)AlbumCo-writerProducer
"No, No, No"1997 Destiny's Child Destiny's Child Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Wild Wild West"1999 Will Smith
(featuring Dru Hill and Kool Moe Dee)
Wild Wild West
and Willennium
Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Bootylicious"2001 Destiny's Child Survivor Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Apple Pie à la Mode"Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Happy Face"Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Outro (DC-3) Thank You"Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"You're the Only One" Destiny's Child
(European reissue)
X mark.svgYes check.svg
"Winter Paradise" 8 Days of Christmas Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"A "DC" Christmas Medley"X mark.svgYes check.svg
"This Christmas"X mark.svgYes check.svg
"This Goes Out"2002 3LW A Girl Can Mack Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Past 12" Kelly Rowland Simply Deep Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Train on a Track"Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"No Coincidence"Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Love That Man" Whitney Houston Just Whitney Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Paparazzi"2008 Lady Gaga The Fame Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Beautiful, Dirty, Rich"#Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Again Again"The FameYes check.svgYes check.svg
"Brown Eyes"Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Disco Heaven"The Fame
(revised international edition)
Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Vanity"#Non-album singleYes check.svgYes check.svg
"Retro Dance Freak"2009The Fame
(Japanese edition)
Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Bang Bang" Melanie Fiona The Bridge Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Fever" Adam Lambert For Your Entertainment Yes check.svgX mark.svg
"Glitter and Grease"2011 Lady Gaga Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden Yes check.svgYes check.svg
"Shadow"2013 f(x) Pink Tape X mark.svgYes check.svg
"Brave Honest Beautiful"2015 Fifth Harmony
(featuring Meghan Trainor)
Reflection Yes check.svgYes check.svg

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Destiny's Child</span> American girl group (1990–2006)

Destiny's Child was an American musical girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited success, the original quartet comprising Knowles, Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and LeToya Luckett were signed in 1997 to Columbia Records as Destiny's Child. The group was launched into mainstream recognition following the release of the song "No, No, No" and their best-selling second album, The Writing's on the Wall (1999), which contained the number-one singles "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name", alongside successful singles "Bug a Boo" and "Jumpin', Jumpin'". Despite critical and commercial success, the group was plagued by internal conflict and legal turmoil, as Roberson and Luckett attempted to split from the group's manager Mathew Knowles, citing favoritism of Knowles and Rowland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Rowland</span> American singer and actress (born 1981)

Kelendria Trene Rowland is an American singer, actress, and television personality. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. During the group's three-year hiatus, Rowland released her debut solo studio album, Simply Deep (2002), which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and sold over 3 million copies worldwide. It included the Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Dilemma", as well as the UK top-five hits "Stole" and "Can't Nobody". Rowland also ventured into acting with starring roles in Freddy vs. Jason (2003) and The Seat Filler (2005).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bootylicious</span> 2001 single by Destinys Child

"Bootylicious" is a song recorded by American group Destiny's Child for their third studio album Survivor (2001). It was written and produced by Rob Fusari, Beyoncé and Falonte Moore. The song contains a prominent sample from Stevie Nicks' song "Edge of Seventeen". It was released as the second single from Survivor on May 22, 2001, by Columbia Records.

<i>Survivor</i> (Destinys Child album) 2001 studio album by Destinys Child

Survivor is the third studio album by American girl group Destiny's Child. It was released on April 25, 2001, by Columbia Records. As their breakthrough second studio album The Writing's on the Wall (1999) became a rising commercial success, Destiny's Child faced the controversial departure of original members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, who were replaced with Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams, in February 2000. Soon afterwards, they commenced production of their third studio album, tentatively titled Independent Women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney Jerkins</span> American record producer and rapper

Rodney Roy Jerkins, also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists.

<i>Simply Deep</i> 2002 studio album by Kelly Rowland

Simply Deep is the debut solo studio album by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was first released on October 22, 2002, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment. Initially expected to be released during the hiatus of her group Destiny's Child in 2003, recording of the album was accelerated after the success of the single "Dilemma," a collaboration with rapper Nelly. Largely produced within three weeks only, guest appearances on Simply Deep include Nelly, Solange Knowles and Joe Budden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No, No, No (Destiny's Child song)</span> 1997 single by Destinys Child

"No, No, No" is a song recorded by American girl group Destiny's Child for their eponymous debut studio album (1998). It was written by Calvin Gaines, Mary Brown, Rob Fusari and Vincent Herbert, with production helmed by Fusari und Herbert. A sensual mid-tempo ballad blending contemporary R&B with "lush" 1970s soul, it was renamed "No, No, No " after musician Wyclef Jean was consulted to produce and appear on a remix of the song. Built around a hard-sliding bassline and sung in a staccato, rhythmic style, featuring co-production from Che Greene and Jerry Duplessis, it was titled "No, No, No ".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Train on a Track</span> 2003 single by Kelly Rowland

"Train on a Track" is a song by American singer Kelly Rowland. It was written by Rob Fusari, Sylvester Jordan Jr., Balewa Muhammad, and Tiaa Wells and recorded by Rowland for her solo debut album Simply Deep (2002), while production was helmed by Fusari. A light and breezy pop rock song that is built around an acoustic guitar-driven instrumentation, the love song has Rowland singing about a person whom she considers her equal in every manner. The song's musical composition, as well as Rowland's harmonies and the poetic wordplay of its lyrics, positively surprised critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love That Man</span> 2003 single by Whitney Houston

"Love That Man" is a song by American R&B-pop singer Whitney Houston. It was written by Whitney Houston herself, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Rob Fusari, Calvin Gaines, Eritza Laues, Bill Lee, and Balewa Muhammad for her fifth studio album Just Whitney (2002), with production helmed by Edmonds and Fusari. The song was released as the album's fourth and final single on May 20, 2003 by Arista Records. Commissioned as a remix single in the United States, Peter Rauhofer and The Pound Boys produced remixes of the song. "Love That Man" became Houston's 12th number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beautiful, Dirty, Rich</span> 2008 promotional single by Lady Gaga

"Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" is a song by American singer–songwriter Lady Gaga from her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). It was released as a promotional single from the album on September 16, 2008. Written by the singer and its producer Rob Fusari in 2006, it is an uptempo dance-pop and disco-funk song that makes heavy use of synthesizers. The lyrics focus on Gaga's experiences as a struggling artist in the Lower East Side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paparazzi (Lady Gaga song)</span> 2009 single by Lady Gaga

"Paparazzi" is a song by American singer Lady Gaga from her debut studio album, The Fame (2008). It was released as the album's fifth and final single by Interscope Records. Gaga wrote and produced the song with Rob Fusari. The song portrays Gaga's struggles in her quest for fame, as well as balancing success and love. Musically, it is an uptempo techno-pop and dance-pop ballad whose lyrics describe a stalker following somebody to grab attention and fame.

<i>Hitmixes</i> 2009 EP by Lady Gaga

Hitmixes is the second extended play (EP) by American singer Lady Gaga, released on August 25, 2009. Featuring remixes of songs from Gaga's debut album, The Fame (2008), the album was only released in Canada, by Universal Music Canada. Hitmixes features mixes from various musicians, including RedOne and Space Cowboy, who previously worked with Gaga. The EP hosts 1980s-influenced and house remixes. Hitmixes received positive reviews from the Calgary Herald and Blare Magazine, and peaked at number eight on the Canadian Albums Chart.

"Fever" is a song by American pop vocalist and American Idol season eight runner-up Adam Lambert. The song was written by Lady Gaga, Rob Fusari and Jeff Bhasker for Lambert's debut album, For Your Entertainment. It was released as a radio-only single in New Zealand in September 2010.

Irwin Jesse Levine was an American songwriter, who co-wrote the song "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" with L. Russell Brown. The song was a worldwide hit for Tony Orlando and Dawn as it reached number one on both the US and UK charts for four weeks in April 1973 and number one on the Australian charts for seven weeks from May to July 1973. It was the top-selling single in 1973 in both the US and UK. In 2008, Billboard ranked the song as the 37th biggest song of all time in its issue celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Hot 100.

<i>Playlist: The Very Best of Destinys Child</i> 2012 compilation album by Destinys Child

Playlist: The Very Best of Destiny's Child is the third compilation album by American R&B girl group Destiny's Child. It was released on October 9, 2012, through Columbia Records matching with the fifteenth anniversary of Destiny's Child's formation. The compilation contained fourteen songs from the group's repertoire consisting of four studio albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super Bowl XLVII halftime show</span> 2013 show headlined by Beyoncé

The Super Bowl XLVII halftime show occurred on February 3, 2013, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans as part of Super Bowl XLVII. Beyoncé headlined with special guests Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams from Destiny's Child. It was critically acclaimed, becoming the then second most watched show in Super Bowl history with 110.8 million viewers, behind the previous year's Super Bowl XLVI halftime show record.

<i>Video Anthology</i> (video) 2013 video by Destinys Child

Video Anthology is the fourth video album by American recording group Destiny's Child. It is a sixteen-music video collection, filmed by the group with various directors during their music career. The album was produced by Akil Brown with members Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams and their manager Mathew Knowles also serving as executive producers. To promote the album, Destiny's Child collaborated with several publications which offered copies to their readers through their websites. The album was first released on May 31, 2013 through Columbia Records. Upon its release, it received positive reviews from music critics who praised the visuals included complete with the accompanying choreography. However, one writer felt the album was incomplete and argued that many videos were omitted from the track listing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather Russell</span> Canadian singer

Heather Marie Russell is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Her sound is predominantly pop/soul & contemporary R&B music.

<i>The Lexicon of Love II</i> 2016 studio album by ABC

The Lexicon of Love II is the ninth studio album by English band ABC. It was released on 27 May 2016 on Virgin EMI, eight years after their previous album Traffic. After a performance of ABC's studio album The Lexicon of Love in concert with Anne Dudley, lead singer of the band Martin Fry felt that it was time to develop a proper follow-up to the album. He wrote over 40 songs for the album with various guest writers and recorded the album with himself and Gary Stevenson producing. On the album's release, it received generally favourable reviews.

Falonte Moore, also known as "Fonz", is an American singer, songwriter, and producer, best known for co-writing Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious". Moore began his career as one part of R&B/Neo-Soul duo Koffee Brown, releasing 2001 project Mars/Venus signed to Arista Records. The group quickly disbanded after the release of their album, and Moore moved into songwriting and production for other artists, frequently working alongside producer Rob Fusari.

References

  1. Rose, Lisa. "Lady Gaga files lawsuit of her own against Rob Fusari", The Star-Ledger , 20 March 2010. Accessed 24 February 2011. "The Livingston native, who helped pen and produce such hits as 'Bootylicious' by Destiny's Child and 'Wild Wild West' by Will Smith, was singing a different tune during a taped interview with The Star-Ledger in January."
  2. Kawashima, Dale. Rob Fusari Co-Writes & Produces Top Hits For Destiny's Child, Will Smith And Other Artists, SongWriterUniverse.com. Accessed 24 February 2011.
  3. "William Paterson University – News". Wpunj.edu. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  4. "Irwin Levine, 58; Wrote 'Yellow Ribbon'". The New York Times. 27 January 1997.
  5. "Rob Fusari Co-Writes & Produces Top Hits For Destiny's Child, Will Smith & Other Artists". Singer Universe. 2003. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  6. "ROB FUSARI PRODUCTIONS". Rob Fusari's Official Website. 2003. Archived from the original on 25 April 2003. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  7. "Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga Win Early Grammys". Billboard. 31 January 2010. Retrieved 8 October 2013.
  8. "Names and Faces: Kathy Griffin speaks out against 'don't ask, don't tell'". The Washington Post . 20 March 2010. Retrieved 21 March 2010.